Clark's Rookery Romp!

Clark's Rookery Romp!. . , Our Sycamore , This tree stump is from a 300 year old Sycamore tree that had to be cut down. It was here before George Rogers Clark marched on the British and Shawnee in 1780!, In the summer of 2015, this tree was struck by lightning, which started a fire within the tree. Fearing this fire would spread, the local fire department cut down the tree to extinguish the fire. After this tree was cut down, we used the tree to make this nature play space!, What do Trees Mean to You? , We all know that trees give us oxygen, help us make products such as furniture, and provide homes to many animals., Trees can have a special place in peoples' memories, too. They can be your spaceship as you travel to Mars, they can hold a fort for your friends, support a rope swing to hang around on, or they can provide shade for you when you're fishing., Many people in the area grew up with this Sycamore tree, seeing it grow for years. They played under it, had picnics nearby, or watched the birds among its branches. Do you have a special tree in your life?, How Old is This Tree? , Did you know you can age a tree by counting the rings? Every growth season, a tree adds a new layer of wood to its trunk and limbs. Each ring has 2 sections; a wide, light section (early wood) and a narrow, dark section (late wood). The early wood grows during the wet spring season. During the transition to fall and winter, growth slows down and the darker, late wood forms., The rings of a tree also provide clues about the weather over time or evidence of disturbance to the tree, such as droughts or floods., . Moist growing season - wide ring , . Drought or colder year - narrow ring , . Fire, trce-eating insects or disease - narrow or misshapen ring to form, or even a black scar spot within the tree, Count the Rings on This Tree , When counting the rings, count either the light or dark rings, but not both. Can you see what happened to the tree over time by the width or look of the rings?